David Ellefson shared his thoughts on the album Megadeth , the farewell album from the band led by Dave Mustaine .
In a recent episode of The David Ellefson Show Megadeth bassist praised guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari's performance , describing him as "the big star" of the album, and the quality of drummer Dirk Verbeuren , despite criticizing the excessive use of digital editing on the drums [transcription via Blabbermouth ].
“Teemu is obviously a great guitarist. He’s fantastic. He’s a great musician. For me, he’s kind of the history of Megadeth now. He’s the shining star of the group. I wish they wouldn’t use Pro Tool so much on Dirk, because the guy knows how to play and has this looser feel… We’ve always said he’s the closest thing to Gar Samuelson [Megadeth’s first drummer]. Take the guy off Pro Tool, stop quantizing him and let him breathe a little. He knows how to play.”
He also highlighted Mustaine's lyrical ability:
“Dave has a new band. He has a new sound. So I just sat down and listened as a listener, even as a fan of Megadeth and Dave's abilities. Because I admire what he can compose and do. And one thing I say about Dave is that he writes lyrics that make you want to listen to what he's saying. Dave writes lyrics that make you pay attention.”.
Criticism of the "Ride The Lightning" version
Regarding the cover of "Ride The Lightning," a classic Metallica , Ellefson said:
"The funny thing is that Dave was mad at Kirk Hammett for playing his solos [on the songs that ended up on 'Kill 'Em All' ], and now here's Dave playing Kirk's solos. I remember Dave saying, 'They stole my riff, you sons of bitches!'"
According to David Ellefson, Metallica only used a few riffs from Dave Mustaine, not an entire song:
“Dave talks about it now as if they were all sitting in the room writing 'Ride The Lightning' together. I wasn't there, so I don't know the details, but it seems to me that if it were actually a finished song, it would be on 'Kill 'Em All' . But it wasn't. It was a few years later. So, you see,
Dave participated? Yes, but it seems to me more like that song was kind of put together after he left the band. But again, I wasn't there. I know this: James [ Hetfield ] is a very different lyricist from Dave. So, in 'Ride The Lightning', you hear James establishing himself as a lyricist, at least in my opinion.”
Despite the praise, the former member was critical of the overall sound, stating that the album sounds more like a solo project by Mustaine with new musicians than a true Megadeth record.
“I listen and think, ‘Okay, this is a Dave solo album.’ It’s Dave with his new band, with his new musicians. It says Megadeth, so obviously it draws all the attention, but, realistically, to me it just doesn’t sound like Megadeth. And that’s just my opinion. It sounds like Dave doing what he does, but with a different group of musicians, in a new phase. And this is Dave’s retirement time.”.
Megadeth's farewell album
Simply titled Megadeth , the farewell album was released by vocalist Dave Mustaine Tradecraft
In addition to the 10 tracks, the band recorded three bonus songs. Among them is the highly anticipated new version of Metallica's "Ride The Lightning . In an interview, Mustaine said that the decision to re-record the track is to mark the closing of a cycle, without major changes compared to the original track.
Megadeth has confirmed a single show in Brazil for May 2nd, at Espaço Unimed in São Paulo, as part of their Farewell Tour . Tickets are already sold out.
In a recent interview, Dave Mustaine assured that there will be no special invitations for former Megadeth members at any show.
READ ALSO: Dave Mustaine expresses desire for Metallica to tour with Megadeth
